Mayock on Eagles' First-Round Options
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Mayock on Eagles' First-Round Options
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
If Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly is there when the Eagles make the 15th overall selection in the 2012 entry draft, “that might be a slam-dunk for me” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said on a conference call with reporters today. If Kuechly, Mayock’s top-ranked linebacker in the draft, isn’t still around at 15, he thinks the Eagles’ picture gets more complicated.
Mayock said he doesn’t see another inside linebacker he would take in the first round. (Middle linebacker seems to be the Birds’ biggest need.) He particularly doesn’t like Arizona State’s Vontaze Burfict, a legendary hitter whose consistency, anger management and work ethic have been questioned. Mayock said even putting aside the issue of costly penalties, Burfict “gets enveloped,” by bigger bodies, shows poor instincts. Eagles fans, who have been known to like big hitters, seem fixated on Burfict; maybe their team can get him after the first round. “I’m not a fan at all,” Mayock said. “For a big, strong guy, he’s nowhere near as strong at the point of attack as I thought he would be.”
“(Kuechly’s) playmaking and instincts are so good, think about Sean Lee. I think that’s the best comparison for him. Sean Lee went in the second round to Dallas (from Penn State, two years ago), but has become a Pro Bowl inside linebacker, and I think this kid is very similar. He doesn’t have the knee issues Sean had, and I think he’s a slightly better athlete,” Mayock said.
“If he’s not there, I think you’ve got a little bit of a problem inside,” Mayock said. “I don’t think Don’ta Hightower, from Alabama, is worthy of the 15th pick in the draft, and I don’t think there’s any other inside linebackers worthy of that pick.”
So what do the Eagles do? Well, if they’ve gone through free agency, which starts March 13, without really addressing inside linebacking, then maybe they have to trade up several spots to ensure they get Kuechly. Remember, they do have an extra second-round pick to play with. Or, if they get linebacking in free agency, maybe they’re looking somewhere else at 15. Mayock sees defensive tackle as the deepest talent group in the first round, with five to seven players to whom he’d assign first-round grades, including Devon Still, from Wilmington and Penn State. Still sat out the Senior Bowl with an ankle problem, but his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said today that Still will participate fully in next week’s NFL Scouting Combine.
Mayock said he had Still at the top of the draft class before he started evaluating junior talent declaring for the draft at DT, and now he thinks maybe there are as many as three better options – Michael Brockers of LSU, Jerel Worthy of Michigan State, and Dontari Poe of Memphis, a raw talent with upside.
The Eagles have to decide by next month whether they are going to pay Cullen Jenkins a $7.5 million roster bonus; seeing how much the Giants’ d-line keyed New York’s Super Bowl drive might convince them they need more difference-makers up front, particularly inside.
“If both players are equally ranked, then you’d probably want to go defensive tackle first,” Mayock said, when asked if the Eagles couldn’t get better value at DT than at LB with the 15th pick. “You and I both know the Eagles have struggled with that inside linebacker position for a long time now. I think Kuechly’s a special player and I think Kuechly can help solidify what’s happening on that defense. He’s going to get everybody lined up in the right place, he’s going to play well. I think he starts Day 1.”
So, linebacker and defensive tackle are the mostly likely positions for the Eagles to target? Maybe not. Let’s say that after the expected franchising of DeSean Jackson next week, the Birds end up trading their get-out-of-jail-free card to a team willing to meet his longterm demands. Then you have to be thinking wideout at 15. Mayock said “you’d have to take a look at (Baylor’s) Kendall Wright” there, if Jackson is gone by the April 26 start of the draft. Wright, 5-10, 190, has that over-the-top speed that Jackson uses to open up the field for other pass-catchers.
Hire Mike Mayock. Fire Howie Roseman. Howie's not long for this job.— guyguy4- I'd love to see the eagles get this guy but i really doubt he will still be there at 15.— dta
- He'll be there to my chagrin!!!— Eaglehaslanded
- If you look around enough, you can find a decent amount of tape on Burfict outside his highlight reel. When you do, you will understand why he is suspect in Maycock's eyes. It is not just that he is a bad character but he is a wild football player, out of position often, running around without purpose and taking unwarranted risks. I think he doesn't get drafted until mid-2nd round. The Eagles should trade down to the late 1st round and try to pick up another second rounder. Then they can either take Burfict or a safety without it being a reach and giving them (3) 2nd rd. picks to fill.(OLB, DT, and Safety) If they stay at 15 and Kuechly is gone, they should absolutely choose a DT because they are so deep in this draft. I would think about letting jenkins walk and make sure that I am able to sign Maclin, DJax and mcCoy. The Eagles should target: Kuechly, Still, Barron, or Hightower.— UncleStosh
- Go PSU Devon Still (DT) first round if there, Zach Brown/Ronnell Lewis (OLB) 45th, and Alshon Jeffery (WR), 48th.— Romus
- Ratboy is Stills' agent? Man, talk about a snake bit team...— tpizza
- "Hire Mike Mayock. Fire Howie Roseman. Howie's not long for this job.
— guyguy4"
Let's get that done!— Jp85 - MLB is certainly a concern that needs to be addressed but this team’s future is all about getting the most out of the players we already have – if the coaches don’t do a better job of coaching/play calling and the players don’t take full advantage of this offseason to get better and play to their full potential, we have no chance of getting to the SB!— low1016
- Eagles trade up, lose Kuechly, snag a "can't miss" 240 lb defensive end. End of story.— billtfla
- The draft is always a guessing game. I like Kuechly or Barron. But you never really know until they're on the field for a while. Maybe the surest thing in this draft is Trent Richardson, but a runner can be done in four years.— armchairGM
- By Eagles logic, Kuechly has played on defense and has seen offenses, so he should be the new center.— burholme
- So why, after people here have been tagging Kuechly as the likely first-round pick, are the Philly media all of a sudden warming up to him? What are they seeing that we don't? Has someone at NovaCare leaked that Kuechly's gonna be the pick?
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The Eagles front office has led me to believe nothing that is said or done until Draft Day; only after they make their picks can we get an idea. Wonder what Mel Kiper, Jr. thinks of the Eagles drafts in recent years; everyone's heard what he thinks of the Jets' methods.
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Kuechly might be a keen athlete, and a good linebacker, but is he big enough to play LB in the NFL? It seems he's doing all he can to make weight from his workouts, but can he keep it on? Are we going to have another high-motor, fast LB who'll get knocked off the line immediately, or can he hold his own? Too many questions for my liking.— MidStaterUXB - You're right, he's too small by 20 pounds to play MLB in the NFL.
He'll get pancaked at the point of attack every play.
He's a 2nd rounder at best.— fmMD - I don't think the Eagles will draft Kuechly at 15. However, trading UP to get a small, slow LB sounds just like the type of move the Eagles will do!— banned
- Yeah, draft him
— Willysoup
